Geophysical tow buoy



GR 394699551 SR P 30, 1969 R. L. LEFEBVRE 3,469,551

GEOPHYSICAL TOW BUOY Filed March 11, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 RN L. LEFEB VRE l ATTORNEY Sept. 30, 1969 R. L. LEFEBVRE 3 5 GEOPHYSICAL TOW BUOY Filed March 11, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 RENE L. LEI-"EB VRE I i V/;'. 7M

ATTORNEY United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 114-235 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A buoy characterized by its light weight and continued buoyancy even though the buoy may be damaged, such buoy having a lifting eye at substantially its center of gravity. A pair of fins are mounted on the aft portion of the buoy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention.This invention pertains generally to buoyant structures having particular adaptation in the field of geophysical prospecting although the field of use of the invention encompasses any activity which may take place in a body of water.

Description of the prior art.In offshore oil and gas exploration activity including seismic surveying, it is necessary to have buoyant structures for positioning apparatus such as geophones.

Prior to the present invention, steel buoys nine feet in length and weighing approximately 450 pounds required four men to launch such steel buoys from a boat. Such steel buoys are capable of supporting about 700 pounds. Also, if such a steel buoy is damaged, the buoy will sink and thereby disrupt operations and cause a delay in the scheduled offshore activity. The present invention provides a buoy having a Fiberglas shell and weighs approximately 100 pounds. The buoy of the present invention requires only one man to launch it from a boat. Also the buoy of the present invention provides less electronic interference when compared with known steel buoys. The buoy of the present invention is easier to tow behind a vessel than steel buoys and may be repaired aboard a vessel without danger of sinking if the buoy of the present invention is damaged while in use in a body of water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a buoy useful in offshore operations, such buoy being characterized by having a foam-filled internal portion and two downwardly extending fins at the rear of the buoy. A lifting eye is provided on the buoy at substantially the center of gravity of the buoy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing how the buoy of the present invention may be used to support an offshore geophysical cable;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view showing how the buoy of the present invention may be used in towing an air operative explosive unit;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view showing the buoy of the present invention utilized catamaran style;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view showing the buoy of the present invention supporting a cargo net, a missile unit and salvage cargo;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the buoy of the present invention utilized as a mine retriever;

FIGURE 6 is a side view of the buoy of the present invention; and

FIGURE 7 is an end view of the buoy taken along line 77 of FIGURE 6.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing a boat 10 in a body of water 12. A cable which may be a geophysical cable 14 well known in the geophysical art may be coupled through connectors 16, 18 and 20 to buoys 22, 24 and 26 respectively. Buoys 22, 24 and 26 will be explained in detail subsequently but in FIGURE 1 it is apparent that such buoys provide support to the geo physical cable 14 and provide a fixed depth for cable 14 from the surface of the body of water 12.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view also showing boat 10 in a body of water 12. A cable 30 may have coupled thereto an air operative explosive unit 32 well known in'the geophysical art. Such air operative explosive unit 32 is coupled through lead 34 to a buoy 22. Thus, the buoy 22 shown in FIGURE 22 provides support for the air operative explosive unit 32.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view showing boat 10 in a body of Water 12. Line 36 is coupled to buoys 22 and 24 which are coupled catamaran style. Buoys 22 and 24 may be utilized for towing an instrument package to obtain various information from the body of water 12.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view showing boat 10 in a body of water 12. A cable 38 may be coupled to a buoy 22 which provides support for a net 40 having cargo 44 inside net 40. The cargo 44 may be a valve, for example, which is utilized at the Wellhead in an offshore well which is producing oil or gas. Also shown in FIG- URE 4 is buoy 22 having a cable 46 coupled thereto and supporting a member 48 which may be a missile unit. Buoy 22 also may be coupled through lead 50 to cargo 52 which may be in the process of being salvaged in the body of water 12.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view showing boat 10 in a body of water 12. Boat 10 has buoys 22 and 24 coupled thereto through cable 54. The buoys 22 and 24 may have a cable 56 coupled between buoys 22 and 24 to provide retrieval of a mine 58.

FIGURE 6 is a side view of buoy 22. Buoy 22 includes an outer housing 60 having a nose 62. The housing may be constructed of lightweight Fiberglas. The rear of the housing 60 has a tapered upper portion 64 which is joined to cylindrical portion 66 from which extends a substantially triangular shaped fin 68.

A rib 70 which may be made of steel is provided in the lower portion of the buoy and a lifting eye 72 is positioned substantially in the center of gravity of the buoy to allow the buoy to be lifted easily. Rib 70 and the lifting eye 72 may be an A-frame construction. The housing 60 is filled with foam under pressure to provide the required buoyancy.

A satisfactory buoy has been found to be one which is nine feet in length, weighing approximately pounds. The distance from the nose to the tapered portion 64 has been found to be about 63 inches or 5% feet. The fin 68 may be 32 inches long and extend about 14 inches from cylindrical section 66.

FIGURE 7 is a rear view of buoy 22 taken along line 77 of FIGURE 6. Fin 68 is shown positioned at 53.5 degrees from the horizontal plane and fin 74 also is positioned on the other side at 53.5 degrees from the hori zontal. Thus the arc between fin 68 and fin 74 is 73 de grees with such are being formed from a point which is the center of member 66. The fins 68 and 74 are also constructed of foam filled Fiberglas.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the buoy of the present invention is a decided improvement over buoys known at the time the present invention was made. The buoy of the present invention is light in weight, will not sink if partially destroyed, and will remain in a stable path while being towed.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those 4 means including first-and second triangular, planar members positioned at arcuate distances of substantially fifty-three and one-half degrees from a horizontal plane with said rib being substantially in a vertical plane with respect to said first and second skilled in the art that many modifications may be made 5 b h h f without departing from the spirit of the invention. 2 t ypotenuse 51 o Sal I claim: orming leading edges toward said nose of said hous- 1. A buoyant article of manufacture including in combinaiEfF References Cited a unitary housing including a nose, a first cylinder cou- 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS pled to said nose, a tapered portion coupled to said first cylinder, a second cylinder coupled to said ta- 2,414,480 1/1947 114-235 pered portion, a rib coupled to said first cylinder, and 25137264 6/1964 Bramard a lifting eye extending through said first cylinder and 3119 3855 7/1965 Chapman 1140'5 15 3,327,968 6/1967 Converse 114235 X coupled through A-frame structure to said rib at substantially the center of gravity of said article of manufacture, with said nose, first cylinder and second cylinder all being on a substantially common horizontal plane extending along said rib, and

fin means coupled to said second cylinder, said fin 20 TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

